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I have lived with a broken bi-fold pantry door for 3 years. I guess it hasn’t always been broken. Occasionally I would fix it, and put it back on its track. Only for one of the kids to attack the door in an attempt to get a handful of goldfish. And boom, it would be broken again.
This week I had enough of that darn door.
My mom was visiting so I thought together we could tackle this door and turn it from a cheap builder grade bi-fold door to a super fancy double door. And it worked. Well it may not be super fancy, but at least it has a bit of character now.
Basic bi-fold door.
To complete this simple project you will need to purchase 6 hinges (I only bought 4 so I have to add 2 more), a double magnetic catch, and 2 door knobs.
Since I always seem to struggle with hinges I have taken a picture of the ones that worked for us. The hinges and magnetic catch were bought at Home Depot.
You may also be able to re-use the hinges from your door. I only had 3 and they were all covered in paint. New hinges were only about $2 each so it wasn’t a big deal.
This is the label for the magnetic catch. I’m sure any of them would work.
To start remove door from track. And remove all hardware, top track, hinges between door, and any hardware along the bottom of the door. Remember the bottom of the door. We hung our doors and realized there was a screw on the bottom of one of the doors that we hadn’t removed and was now scratching the floor.
Measure & mark on the door where you want each of the hinges (same on each door). Pre-drill the holes.
Attach hinges to doors first.
Add magnetic catch to top. Make sure it’s centre so that both doors hit it. We held the 2 doors up to be sure before we screwed it in.
Now attach the doors to the door frame (pre-drill the holes in the door frame). You will need one person to hold the door and another to drill. Be sure to hang the door high enough so that it catches the magnetic catch.
Once the doors are up you can add the magnetic plates to the back of the 2 doors.
Now check to see if the door closes. If you have a gap between the doors you can add a piece of wood to one side (but this means you will always have to close one door first).
With my doors we couldn’t actually close them. So we had to do some major sanding. I mean major.
You can see my little helper vacuuming up the dust. After a ton of sanding the doors finally closed.
We painted the door Seal by Martha Stewart. Love it.
To hang the door knobs I got lazy. And instead of measuring I just added tape using the door molding as a guide. Drilled 2 holes and added the knobs.
I found the knobs at Anthropologie for $8 each. It was way more than I wanted to spend but after a week of searching for knobs (could not find ones with a 1.5 inch screw) I just gave up. Besides who doesn’t love a trip to Anthropologie?
Once I removed the old door handle I just used some spackle to fill in the hole, sanded it and you can’t even tell there was once a door knob in the middle of the door(even with the faux wood grain on the doors).
Now I have storage on the inside of the doors.
My pantry door is now much more functional. And I no longer want to kick it every time it falls off the track. So that’s pretty awesome.
This project took about 2.5 hours including painting. Although if we didn’t have to do all that sanding it would have been much faster.
So are you going to give it a try? If not just give your pantry door a fresh coat of paint and some pretty knobs. Why not add some charm and character to your pantry?
Now just to tackle the inside of that pantry. Ah who cares no one sees that anyways.
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Awesome idea, but my closets have 2 sets of bifold doors! I think that using your idea, I could just buy 2 full sized hollow core doors? Those dang things either A fall off, or B never shut all the way. Sick to death of them after 15 years.
This is incredible. Now when I look for my new house the by-fold door pantry won’t be an issue.
This is a great idea that I will be doing this weekend! Thank you!!!
You’re very welcome :) Enjoy your weekend project.
You are BRILLIANT! Thank you so much for this idea and the excellent, excellent tutorial! I have been kicking my stupid bifold doors for years! After 17 years in this house, with my two daughters who are now in their 20’s, I’ve had enough of the stupid things. (And my apologies for the over use of the word stupid. bi-fold brings out the worst in me.) Can’t wait to try this out! My hub is skeptical, but I have your plans in place. Can’t wait till he goes to work!
lol, I know my husband NEVER would have agreed to do it. I never even mentioned it to him. Just did it when he was at work one day (with my mom’s help) and he came home and it was all done. Sometimes it’s just easier that way :). Good luck with it Laura, let me know if you run into any troubles with it.
Thank you SO much for this post! I had this exact idea and I had no idea how to convince my husband it would be possible! How much did you spend for extra supplies (hinges, magnet board, etc.)?
That’s so funny Denna! I had the same problem I knew my husband would never go for this. So I didn’t even mention it to him. I waited 6 months for my mom to come and visit and we did it while he was at work. He came home and it was all done. As for cost the magnetic catch in the middle cost about $4 and I needed 4 hinges which I think were about $3 each (but you may be able to reuse the hinges that are on the door (depending on how many are on there). So for about $16 you can do it.
Can you come do mine you make it look so simple :) Really I can’t wait to try this. Hate the bi-folds we inherited and there are a few. Strange … I think my bi-folds have one bigger panel on the one side…is it just me or has anyone else observed this at home? Hmm might not work out for me then :(
Oh I haven’t heard of one bigger panel on one side. But you’re right it wouldn’t work if that was the case. But I totally promise that if your panels are both the same size than it’s totally easy to do. I have NO construction skills at all, and it was a simple project. I was about to rip the door off and just throw it out so I figured I had nothing to lose. If I messed it up, no big deal.
I have began the process. Thank you for the inspiration. I am converting 5 rooms! I will send you a pic when I’m done. Again thanks for posting this for all of us DIYers :)
Mav
Oh wow 5 doors! I would love to see a picture!
You’re my new favorite person! I’ve been living with one double bi fold door on and one off of my laundry closet(which is right off my kitchen) for 5 months. Got tired of fixing the one so just took it off and chucked it into the garage. I’ve been racking my brain on what to do about the door way though and this is PERFECT!! I get to reuse what I have(always a bonus on a single mom income), cover my laundry closet, AND add some very sought after character and funk to my new house!!! Triple whammy!!! Thank you!!
Amanda I love that! I’m so happy I could help you out. It really was a simple project, you’ll just need someone to help you hold the doors when you screw them on. Please let me know if you run into any problems, and I can try to help you out.
It’s always the best when you can just reuse what you already have.
Danielle – such a great idea! I too have a bi-fold door that I have long since given up on fixing & fixing over and immediately over again. But mine is a little different and I was wondering if you had any advice/solutions to fix it.
My bi-fold door is actually a bedroom door, and as such it really does not do a good job in terms of privacy (since it’s always broken as is). Would there be anyway to do a switch to french doors that would be more secure than the magnetic closure? Thanks so much in advance, I really appreciate it.
Hmmm that’s a good question Sarah. I guess the only way to make it more secure would be to add an actual door knob to it, of course that’s way beyond my skills. You could always find a cute little latch though and put it on the inside of the door, maybe something like this http://www.cliffsideind.com/products/ibcl-pn-ice-box-style-cabinet-latch (I’m sure you can find a much cheaper alternative).
I love this! Our newly-built-last-year entry closet STILL has no doors on it as hubby didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on closet doors. THIS is the perfect solution! Cheap bi-folds are always for sale second hand…and I can do this myself while he is at work and surprise him! Thanks so much for the inspiration! Yay…no more looking at coats, shoes, hats, gym bags, umbrellas, etc!!
Cheryl that is so awesome! I’m glad I could help. If you live near a Habitat ReStore they always seem to have bi-fold doors.
I hated my pantry bi-folds, and pinned this tutorial for future use. Well, last week they broke again!
I now have the doors rehung and need to sand. What did you use for sanding? I can’t tell from the picture.
I used a small hand sander called The Mouse (I think it’s black & decker), but any sander would work.
I so love the grey yellow combination!
Thanks Tina!
great, I love this- I am thinking of doing something similar
kelly thompson recently posted..Kid / Parent Bedtime Journal…Have you made one yet?
Very smart. It looks great. I will get up the courage to try it myself! :D
I wonder if this could be modified for a double folding door. Also, is there just as much room to reach in and get things as there was before the mod?
Yes you can do this with double doors. Just use a metal brace to attach the back of the doors together. I plan on doing this with my laundry room doors. And as for space it actually gives me a bit more space because with the bifold doors folded up into the pantry so now the right hand corner of the pantry is actually more accessible.
I too live in a builder basic home with my husband and two kids and am annoyed by all the closet openings that are made to fit the door rather than the amount of space in the closet. I love this idea and was just speaking to my husband about doing this a week ago. Very cool that I happened upon your site. Question: Did you attached the door hinges to the door casing/moulding or the wall just inside the closet?
Good question I attached the hinges to the wall just inside the door. The proper way is to chisel a hole in the wood frame so that your hinge sits flush (check out another door in your house to see what I mean). But I thought I would screw that up and then have to replace the whole door frame casing so I just screwed the hinges in and then had to sand the edge of the doors (once the doors were all installed). I hope that all makes sense.
This is one of the best DIYs I’ve seen yet! I have three sets of double bifold closets and would love to covert them into french doors. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for saying that Donna! It really was an easy project that you can totally do yourself (you’ll just need someone to hold the doors for you-it will make it 1000x easier). Good luck!
What a super smart idea! Great job!!
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Oh my gosh, I LOVE this idea! When I moved into my house, I converted my hall closet into a pantry/utility closet, but those darn bi-fold doors block a good portion of the shelves. I am so going to do this – thanks for the inspiration!
Awesome, I love hearing that my readers are going to try something new. You’ll love them.
I have a coat closet in the hall entry. Hate that bi-fold door gotta Ty after my guest leave :)
You are a lifesaver! We have 3 of these horrible bi-fold doors in our home and this is going to work so much better! Thank you thank you thank you!! I’ve pinned this post.
Saw you featured at Fox Hollow Cottage.
Debbie :)
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I love this Debbie, so glad I could help you. I still have to do my laundry room doors, can’t wait because they are also driving me crazy.
I’ve been wanting to try this but I do not have the confidence that I will hinge it right. I am thinking of just using additional bifold hardware and leave the track up and just separate the doors.
Elise you could always take the door off (remove the hinges between the 2 doors and on the one side that it’s attached to the wall) and leave the track up. Then attach the new hinges on the 2 sides. And if it works then you can take the track off and just add the little magnetic catch at the top. And if it doesn’t work then it’s not a big deal to put it back as a bifold door if it doesn’t work. But really this was a very simple project. I’m sure you can do it. The only thing is it really does take 2 people. My mom helped hold the doors as I hung them again. Just be sure to hang the doors high so that if you do use a maganetic catch the doors will actually hit the catch as they close. I hope this all makes sense. Good luck, you can totally do it!
Oh man…what a great idea!
Not only do they look fabulous, but it’s a much smarter design! You rock!
Kelly
I am going to have to do this! I love the yellow knobs. Found you over at Funky Junk interiors. The magnetic latch was a great idea.
Danylle @NanaMoon recently posted..Her Home: Bathroom Remodel
I love this article. I am wondering if it could possibly be adapted to a double bi fold door set. I would think I may need to just get new doors.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful idea!!!
Theresa, Yes you can! Check out this tutorial from DIY Showoff http://diyshowoff.com/2011/12/04/diy-project-parade-closet-doors-how-to-turn-bifold-doors-into-french-doors/
This was a fantastic idea. I love the yellow knobs.
Traci
Thanks for linking up! The doors are fantastic! I especially love that you chose black…It really pops! Feel free to join any of the upcoming link-ups!
~Ursula
Ursula Carmona recently posted..Dare to DIY
Thanks Ursula I just came across your blog for the first time today (I think I found it through Pinterest).
Hey Danielle! Just wanted to let you know this will be featured tonight on the blog. Plus we are starting a fun new giveaway! :)
Jocie@TheBetterHalf recently posted..How to Install or Replace an Exterior Door
Oh thanks and I love giveaways!
You are a GENIUS!!! I think you just saved me $200! (The cost for new doors for our bedroom closet…)
I’m so happy to hear that I have saved you some money. That’s exactly why I have this blog. Good luck converting your doors and just ask if you run into any issues or have any questions.
OMG, this is the best idea ever. Thank you so much for sharing!
I have been wanting to do this to the entrance door in my TINY master bath. When the door is opened, it takes up a huge portion of the bathroom.
The only thing I need to figure out is how to lock them for privacy.
Hmmm that’s a good question Angela. You could do something like this latch from Lee Valley
http://www.leevalley.com/EN/hardware/page.aspx?p=40118&cat=3,41399
They have a ton of hardware so it may be a good place to look. I think it could be a fun way to add some character to your door though.
What did you do with the holes where the knobs on the bi fold door were at?
I just found this on Pinterest and was wanting to do this to replace a full door in my linen closet. Since the existing door was a normal door, there are spots where the hinges were routed out in the door frame, did you just install the hinges without routing out a spot for them?
Thanks!
Jenna that’s actually way better. Just place the new hinges in those routed out spots, and then you wont have to do any sanding of the door to get them to close. I didn’t rout out a spot for the hinges because I didn’t have the tools/ figured I would butcher the door jam. So I had to sand the sides of the doors to get them to close.
Not only am I going to pin this, I am going to DO IT!!!!!!! We have bi-fold doors on our laundry closet off the kitchen. They’re stupid and they never stay on the track. I have fought with those suckers for 8 years now, and I’m sick of it. This seems like the perfect solution! I will have to adjust the “cure” a bit as ours are double bi-folds (if that makes any sense) that meet in the middle, but that will just take a little thought. Thank you! You may have saved those doors from meeting a grisly end in the wood chipper! :-)
Lol Alycia! Yay I’m so glad you’re going to do it too. I plan on doing my laundry room doors too and they are also the double bifold doors. I plan on just attaching a metal plate to the back of the 2 doors and attaching them as one door. Hope it works out for you. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. It’s so nice to hear that my readers are actually going to try one of my tutorials.
This is genius!! I am pinning this one for sure! I can’t wait to do this to our pantry and one of our closets! Thanks! Juila
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Thanks so much for repinning it Julia. You’ll have to let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear.
Absolutely pure genius
I absolutely love this idea! I have bi-fold doors in my laundry closet and a bedroom closet. They are so obnoxious to open and close. Definitely will do this! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Of course, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I’d love to hear if the doors work out for you.
OMG!!!!!!! I found this right in time. My closet door came off yet again this morning and I was stomping around saying some not so nice words to myself trying NOT to put it threw the window when I seen this on Pinterest. This is now going to be my weekend project for the three closets. THAK YOU so much I think you may have prevented my little boy from learning a few new words lol.
I totally understand what you mean Lisa. I’m so glad I could help. My only advice is stick with it. Several times throughout this project I thought I had ruined the doors and didn’t think it was going to work at all. With a bit (maybe a lot) of sanding I got the doors to work. And I’m totally amazed at how well they work now. I was just doing this as a temporary measure until we could afford to get a real door put on. But we love them so much we’re just going to leave them on. They are so sturdy and open and close really easily. It’s amazing what about $10 in new hardware can do.
This is brilliant. I LOVE IT! I am featuring it at somedaycraft.blogspot.com.
Thanks so much for featuring it!
I heart this so much I could scream!! You clever thing! Love.
Karen
Found you at, “I Gotta Create.”
This is my favourite comment ever! Thanks for taking the time to visit and leave such a nice comment.
Fabulous job, Danielle!!! I love the functionality of the French doors, too! :)
xoxo laurie
OMG that is an AWESOME idea, Danielle! I would never have thought of that. pinning now!
Jocie@TheBetterHalf recently posted..Edge Jointing Wood Without a Jointer
Oh that’s so cool–and I love the knobs too!
Steph @ Crafting in the Rain recently posted..Cutting Edge Magazine Giveaway
Thanks so much Steph!
What a brilliant idea – would have never thought of that!!!
And love the color and the yellow handles!
Fabulous transformation ( visiting from One Artsy Mama )
Hugs,
Suzan
Suzan recently posted..If he were a Carpenter
Thanks so much Suzan. I hated my old bifold door so I did it in desperation, and it actually worked.
this is such a great idea! I dislike our kitchen bi-fold door so much! I am working on improving our kitchen, and I will be adding this to my list, actually I think it will go on top of the list and hopefully get done this week end, well may be not the painting! thanks for a great tutorial!
Morgane @ Bear, Dolly and Moi recently posted..sweet mini quilt
Oh this makes me so happy that you liked the tutorial enough to try it! You’ve made my day Morgane. It really was a very simple project. I have no skills when it comes to carpentry but this was easy. I’d love to hear if it works out.
so I did it this morning! It was a fairly fast project, the only problem: old house where nothing is square or straight! but it is already so much better than before,
and it has not been painted yet! (which means old hole
and unpainted areas!!) thanks again!
That’s so awesome Morgane! I’m so glad it worked for you. I understand the whole old house problem. Our last house was 120 years old and nothing was square. But it was so much more charming than the house we’re in now.
I have trickle doors will this work on them
Hey Connie, Are trickle doors the 4 panel bi-fold doors (sorry I’m not sure what they are). If so I have those same doors in my laundry room and I plan on doing the same thing with them but just adding a metal plate to the backs of the 2 panels to make them ‘one door’. I found this tutorial here http://diyshowoff.com/2011/12/04/diy-project-parade-closet-doors-how-to-turn-bifold-doors-into-french-doors/
I hope this answers your question Connie.
I was so impressed with this tutorial, that I am actually in mid-door transformation!! I have one question….how did you patch the hole in the door center where the original handle was? I was just going to slap some spackle on it but feared it would cover the wood grain pattern. I can’t tell where your hole was?
Anna that’s exactly what I did. Just used some spackle that I had in my garage. You can’t tell at all. I was a little worried about being able to see it too. But you can’t tell at all.
I LOVE this idea!! Will definitely be using it to turn a closet near my kitchen into a Command Central Cubbie! Thanks for the tutorial!
Krista recently posted..How to Give Your Pantry a Little Sweet Lovin
Cool! I have never thought of doing this, but I love the idea! French doors are so much nicer! Pinning – I want to try this!
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Thanks so much Steph. I just visited your blog. Love it. Now following you on Twitter and Pinterest.
Featured you today!
Stacey of Embracing Change
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Thank you so much for the feature Stacey!
Thanks for sharing at Fluster’s Creative Muster. I’m looking forward to seeing what you link up next week.
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Featuring you today!
http://sewingbarefoot.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-weekly-creative-22.html
Thanks so much Shannon!
I LOVE that idea! And those knobs are too freaking cute!
Stopping by from Show off Your Shell Linky.
Alexis from Running Away? I’ll help you pack!
Alexis AKA MOM recently posted..Should I call Hoarders?
Thanks so much Alexis. My husband actually picked the knobs out.
What a great idea! I am with you on wanting to kick the door! It looks awesome with the yellow knobs!
Gorgeous doors – this is such a creative idea for sprucing up an old door. Love it! Thanks for sharing this at The Weekly Creative!
Shannon @ Sewing Barefoot
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The doors look great! I love this idea.
Oh, and I just saw another commenter talking about Raleigh. I’m just south in Fuquay Varina.
I’d love if you shared this recipe at my Show & Tell party this week. http://www.gingerlymade.com/2013/02/show-tell-14.html
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Looks very nice and I love those adorable knobs!
THanks for sharing this week!
Stacey of Embracing Change
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The doors look great! I love this idea.
I’d love if you shared this recipe at my Show & Tell party this week. http://www.gingerlymade.com/2013/02/show-tell-14.html
Ginger recently posted..Show & Tell #14
Just linked up. And I’m now following you on fb and Pinterest Ginger. Love meeting other local bloggers.
This is an amazing idea! We bifold doors on our “laundry closet” and we want to change them to French doors… I’m not sure this would work for our space because we have two bifold doors that meet in the middle, but I would SO be trying this if there were only one.
I’d be thrilled if you’d link up at this week’s Off the Hook!
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Lauren I have the exact same doors in the my laundry closet and I plan on doing this with them. But since they are double bifold doors I am just going to add a little metal plate to the back to attach them and make them one door instead of 2 panels. You will see a little crack between the door but that’s OK with me. I hope that makes sense. I plan on doing it in the next month or so and I’ll post the results on my blog.
Such a great idea! So stylish with the fun knobs!
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This is great! I would love to have you link up to the party this week.
http://www.bloominghomestead.com/2013/02/crafty-tuesday-link-party-21913.html
-Marie
Marie thanks so much for visiting my blog! Just linked up to your party.
Great tutorial, Danielle! Now, if only I had a bi-fold door to remodel at my house! Love the knobs, too!
I love this tutorial! What a great idea to add character to a home! I also loved checking out your black and white striped laundry – so cool!! I’m in the Raleigh area too!! So glad I came across your blog!
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I love finding other Raleigh bloggers, thanks so much for stopping by. Heading over to your blog now.
What a great idea! It looks awesome! Thanks for linking up to Monday Funday!
The knobs are perfect. They dress up the doors perfectly.
I wish I had thought of this trick in our old house with the bifold laundry room doors that constantly came off the track. I probably spent as much time rehanging them as it took you to do this entire redo. Seriously. Those doors and I were not friends and they were such a pain to get back on the track.
I love the color and the yellow knobs. Definitely worth the $8 each and the Anthro trip. (Now what else did you buy there?)
Atta Girl Amy recently posted..Estate Sale Find: Antique Empire Sideboard
I wish I came away with more from Anthropologie but that store is way too expensive. But I do love it.
Following from the Let’s Get Social Sunday hop.
The new doors have so much more character! I love it. Unfortunately for my family, my decorating skills are even less developed than my cooking abilities…and that is a scary thought! :p
LuAnn Braley recently posted..The Taste: Tuesday at 8|7c on ABC
Genius! What a great idea! Love the your sanding helper, too.
Karen @ Dogs Don’t Eat Pizza recently posted..Decorating the Sick Ward (or, “What I Did While Staring at the Walls for Four Days”)
lol, my kids are still young enough to think those chores are fun.
What a great idea! And I absolutely love the color you picked!
Jacque recently posted..Our Kitchen Pantry Dilemma
Thanks Jacque I’m still not sure about the colour. But I always have painters remorse.
What a great idea Danielle! They turned out perfectly.
Brenda recently posted..ooooo – That’s So Coral!
Genius idea! My bi-foldsf drive me nuts. Would love to do this. Thanks for sharing!
Kim @ Plumberry Pie recently posted..Just an Idea: Man Cave Art
LOVE your doors now – nice job!
Inspire Me Heather recently posted..{stories of a house} painting in cold weather
What a great fix. They look fantastic.
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Have a great weekend.
Sarah
http://sarahmschultz.blogspot.com
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